The Malfoy Least Likely to Be Heir Of Slytherin
by Trueheart Zen
Summary: "What's bravery without loyalty though? There's nothing worth fighting for." Taking place during the Chamber of Secrets, Draco Malfoy's big sister, a Hufflepuff named Lucy, questions themes of house loyalty and familial expectations while keeping up her cheerful attitude. Originally Misadventures of the Hufflepuff Malfoy, revised story
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: New readers may disregard this if they please but this story has been edited from the original story (Misadventures of the Hufflepuff Malfoy). Lucy and Mara are still the same lovable characters, and the story follows the same plot as before, but I felt that quite a few things needed changed, so I've spent the three month hiatus I took for this story fixing it. I hope you like the changes :) **

**AU where Draco Malfoy has a older sister who was sorted into Hufflepuff. Otherwise canon except for where I decided other happenings were necessary. Since I don't think I explicitly state it in this story, Lucy and Mara are fourth years right now. **

* * *

Chapter 1

Lucy Malfoy skipped merrily to the Quidditch pitch, her bright blond ponytail swishing with every step. Her best friend, Mara Chastaine, having none of her skipping business, walked behind her, taking long, graceful strides to keep up with her over-exuberant friend.

"It's the first game of the year Mara, aren't you excited?"

"If Slytherin wasn't playing. They're sore losers." Herself a Slytherin, she wasn't a fan of anything that made the common room unbearable.

"Are you saying that you think Gryffindor will win?"

"With your brother as my house's seeker, yes. He'll probably spend the entire time flirting with Potter."

Lucy laughed. "He begged daddy to help him get onto the team, he'll be so disappointed if _darling _Draco loses his first match." She was rooting for Gryffindor, naturally.

"He's more likely to catch a Bludger than the Snitch." Mara said, looking forlornly at the stairs up to where she knew Lucy wanted to sit. "You want to sit at the top, don't you?"

"As close to the Gryffindor goal posts as possible."

"You don't even want to watch the game. You want to watch Oliver."

Mara was right, Lucy was definitely more interested in her boyfriend than the actual game. "_Yeah_… so? It's not that many stairs." She fiddled with the red and gold scarf she was wearing.

"If I pass out you're carrying me."

"So we can both break our necks when I fall trying?"

"Serves you right. Besides, your body will cushion my fall." Mara shrugged and started up the stairs, Lucy bounding ahead of her.

By the time they reached the top, Lucy was exhausted and Mara hadn't even broken a sweat.

"How are you not tired?" Lucy panted, collapsing into a seat as the match began.

"Because I didn't run up ten flights of stairs." Mara replied, sitting with poise beside her.

"I only ran up three."

"You are such a Hufflepuff."

"You're stating the obvious Mara." Despite her family's best efforts to bully the school into switching her to Slytherin, a badger she stayed. Not that she was complaining.

Mara gave her a look, dark irises reflecting the gray sky. Lucy didn't respond, and they watched the match for a while.

"I think that Bludger is out to get the Gryffindor seeker." Mara commented after a few moments.

Lucy glanced over to see that Harry was definitely being targeted by one of the Bludgers, despite the best efforts of the Weasley twins. "Ollie's calling a time out, they'll get it sorted out."

"Ollie. Seriously?" Mara looked at her like it was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard.

"I think it's cute." She replied with a tinge of magenta in her cheeks, returning her gaze to the field. The players were returning to the field, and it seemed as though the twins were leaving Harry to deal with the Bludger on his own.

"See, there you go, Draco's flirting with Potter." Mara said darkly. Draco was just sitting on his broom, no doubt throwing taunts.

She leaned forward in her seat. "I think the snitch is by his ear." There was definitely something gold glinting by her brother's head, and unless he got his ears pierced recently…

"He's got a better chance than Harry, I think that Bludger just broke his arm." Mara was trying to contain her glee. Watching Bludgers hurt people was her favorite part of the game, she had even tried out to be a Beater the last couple of years. "Nope, Potter's got it." She groaned.

"Daddy will be so disappointed." Lucy giggled with glee, but her smile faded as she watched Harry fall to the ground. "Oh, I hope he's okay."

"Not after Lockhart's done with him." Mara muttered, watching her least favorite professor lean over Harry. A few minutes later he was being walked off the field, no doubt to the hospital wing with worse injuries than before. "Remind me to take out a life insurance policy on Potter, it'll be the best investment I'll ever make."

"_Mara_!"

"Admit it, it's a good idea."

Actually, it was a good idea, but Lucy wasn't about to admit that. Students started leaving the stands, bustling with excitement, and Lucy and Mara joined them.

"Can we go to your common room?" Mara asked as Lucy looked despondently at the stairs. "You're not allowed to complain about the stairs after insisting we sit at the top."

"I'm not complaining, I'm just – wishing there was an easier way to get to the ground."

"It's called an elevator, but wizards don't have them." Being Muggle-born, Mara was always marveling at how wizards did things the 'difficult' way. "Well, come on."

Lucy was sure that Mara had explained elevators before, but she just couldn't remember. "Is that the box that holds people and moves up and down stairs?"

"There _is_ hope for you."

* * *

Lucy sat surrounded by plants in the Hufflepuff common room, humming as she worked on her Muggle Studies homework. Picking up a purple every flavored bean, she eyed it carefully. Grape, or eggplant? She bit it in half. _Plum_. This was not any way to live. She put a handful into her mouth, not noticing the colors. By her logic, the good flavors had to outweigh the bad.

She grinned. The combination was sweet.

Dipping her quill in ink, which was being held by a friendly vine, she stopped to contemplate the question, absentmindedly dropping a few more candy beans onto her tongue. She puckered as she bit down, this bunch was bitter. She took a gulp of her pumpkin juice to wash the taste from her mouth, deciding she was done with studying for the afternoon. Perhaps she would go bother Mara.

"_Lumos._" She whispered, holding her wand ahead of her like a torch as she made her way through the dungeons, hoping for no spiders or anything of the sort this time.

"What are you doing here?"

She turned to smile at her little brother. "Hello to you too, Draco." She would have preferred a spider.

"You didn't answer my question."

"You didn't say hello."

"Hello Lucretia."

She grinned and hugged him. "Hello baby brother."

He pulled himself out of her embrace. "What are you doing down here?"

"Looking for Mara."

"Who?"

"You know who she is."

"The annoying one with black hair?"

"You mean the awesome one with black hair?"

He gave her an irritated look, which she ignored.

"Do you know where she is?"

"Is it my job to keep tabs on your friends?"

"It is actually. You are the official person with knowledge of where my friends are."

"_Wonderful_."

"So where's Mara?"

"Taking a nap on her homework last I saw."

She patted his head. "Good boy. Now was that so hard?"

"_Excruciating_. I like to imagine my sister keeps better company, but you keep disappointing me."

"Crabbe and Goyle aren't exactly winners either, honey." She could never understand why someone as intelligent as her brother ran around with such a thickheaded crowd.

He gave her a signature glare. "I could tell father about you running around with Mudbloods."

"Daddy knows, sweetheart. But I bet he doesn't know about Potter grabbing the snitch when it was right beside you. He'll be so _disappointed_." Lucy surprised herself with how nasty she could get sometimes. She decided that she needed to tone it down as bested, her brother stormed away.

* * *

"Maaarrrrrrraaaaaaa." She whispered into her friend's ear.

Mara bolted awake, parchment fluttering from her face to the ground.

"Draco –" Lucy read from her friend's cheek, the ink had transferred from the parchment. Mara's hand flew up to cover it before she could finish reading.

"My brother is a troll you know." Lucy said, raising her wand to her friend's face. "Move your hand."

Mara complied.

"_Scourgify_." The ink disappeared, leaving Mara's skin clear.

"I'm blackmailing him." Mara defended, checking her cheek in a mirror.

"What are you trying to get him to do?"

"I haven't fully decided on my demands."

"What did you catch him doing?"

"Lots of things. And I have photographs."

"I'm sure it's nothing as bad as I've seen at home."

"Like what?"

"Just ordinary Malfoy behavior." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm jealous."

"Of my blackmail material?"

"Of your family. You're really lucky, you know."

"Oh yes, the great Malfoy family. You can take my place anytime you want."

"Can I?"

"I'm sure Mum would prefer any Slytherin to her Hufflepuff daughter."

Mara offered her a chocolate frog.

"Allergic, remember?"

"Well how else am I going to take your place?"

"I was kidding."

"_Tease_."

"Let's go do something." Lucy changed the subject.

Mara looked around at the mess around her. "As soon as I finish my potions homework."

"How much do you have left?"

"What's a Gryffindor doing in here?" Lucy felt a hand on the back of her neck, gripping at her – Oliver's – scarf.

"I'm a Hufflepuff actually." She said, pulling away and turning to face him.

"Get out."

"She's with me." Mara said, pulling off the angry Malfoy stare better than Lucy ever could.

He was unfazed. "She needs to leave."

"I'm not hurting anything."

"You're not a Slytherin."

"I'm a Malfoy though." Her family name was useful, on occasion.

His whole demeanor changed. "My apologies miss."

"You better apologize." Mara spat.

The brute clenched his fists but didn't retaliate. "I had no idea."

"Perhaps you should be a little more polite then?" Mara growled. Sometimes Lucy thought she'd rather face a rabid werewolf than an angry Mara.

"I'll try." Clenching his teeth, he walked away.

"My housemates are idiots." Mara said, looking down at her book.

"Just … most of them. So what assignment are you working on?"

"It's an essay comparing the pros and cons of adding an extra eel spleen to the recipe for Champion's Cross."

"Oh I remember that essay! Adding the extra spleen makes the potion more potent, but increases the risk of brain damage. I ended up writing in favor of removing the spleens from the recipe altogether, substituting pickled pixie heartstrings and -" She wavered under the force of Mara's glare. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm terrible at Charms."

"And Muggle studies." Mara loved to poke fun at how clueless she was in that class.

"And History of Magic. We're both good at Herbology though."

"I do have a soft spot for deadly plants." Mara replied. She was still upset over the confiscation of her Devil's Snare seedlings last year. "But anyway, do you think Snape remembers you writing that essay?"

"I'm sure, but you're a Slytherin, so I'm sure you could get away with it."

"I could turn in a page full of scribbles and still do better than any Gryffindor." Sadly, she was right.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think! :)**

**-Zen**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Mara, what is that knife for?"

She watched her friend relax her grip on the weapon she held in her lap, looking innocently, or at least as innocent as she was capable, at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you're practically foaming at that mouth. Whose head are you mounting on your wall tonight?"

"Do you ever wonder about that curse on Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers?"

Lucy looked up at Lockhart, who was talking about what had happened to Colin Creevey and the ways they could protect themselves. "I don't think he actually knows what he's talking about."

"You think?"

"You should probably put the knife away." She was used to Mara toting around various weapons, but this was getting out of hand.

"What if the creature attacks? Someone needs to protect us."

"Girls, do you have something you need to tell the class?" Lockhart looked straight at them, showing all of his bright white teeth in a smile that was becoming creepier as time went by.

"We're just talking about how lucky we are to have a professor like you, sir." Lucy said, trying not to wince when Mara poked her side with her knife.

Lockhart's smile grew wider, if that was even possible. How did he do that? "Well thank you, but please leave such conversations for when I'm not teaching. And remember, I'm always available for autographs." He winked and Mara scowled, tightening her grip on her knife.

"What was that for?" Lucy whispered as soon as Lockhart went back to teaching.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"You almost stabbed me!"

"I never _almost_ stab people. If I was going to stab you, you'd be in a puddle of your own blood on the floor."

"That's comforting."

"I didn't draw blood."

"It still hurt."

"Malfoy, Chastaine." Lockhart's smile had diminished. Lucy saw it as an improvement. "Ten points from Slytherin and Gryffindor."

"I'm in _Hufflepuff_, sir." Lucy corrected.

"Twenty points for trying to lie."

"Honest, professor!"

"That will be a detention then."

"With all due respect, sir, she is a Hufflepuff." Two of her housemates spoke up. She gave them a grateful smile.

"You're trying to tell me that a loyal Hufflepuff would wear a Gryffindor scarf?"

"It's my boyfriend's, sir." She got out of her seat and showed him the Hufflepuff crest on her robes. "I am a Hufflepuff."

"Ten points from Hufflepuff then. You can see me after class to discuss your detention."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"I could kill him for you." Mara comforted as they walked to the Great Hall for lunch.

"No, Mara. Murder isn't the answer."

"Are you going to sit with me today or with Oliver?"

"Maybe I'm going to be a _loyal_ Hufflepuff and sit at my own house's table."

Mara gave her an unconvinced look.

"You could sit at the Gryffindor table too, you know."

Mara laughed. "Ah, no."

"The twins will be there."

"You think I want to see that idiot?" While Mara refused to admit her crush on Fred Weasley, it was pretty obvious.

"You mean those idiots?"

Mara almost blushed. Lucy was proud. "I'll see you in Astronomy."

"Tell darling Draco hi for me."

"Oh I will." She flashed a terrifying smile.

Lucy slid into a seat next to Oliver, waiting for him to finish talking about strategy with the team so she could have his attention.

"Better watch out Oliver, we have a Hufflepuff spy in our midst." George winked.

Oliver looked around before realizing it was just her. "Lucy, _hi_, how long have you been here?"

"About a half hour. Hi."

"I am so sorry."

"It's fine." She said, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. "It's interesting to watch you when you're really animated about something."

"I think we have a really good shot this year, especially since –" He stopped. "How was your day?"

"Good." She paused. "Lockhart gave me a detention."

"Why?"

"For lying about being a Hufflepuff."

He looked confused. "What did he think you are?"

"A Gryffindor." She took off the scarf and put it around his neck. "I really need to stop wearing this."

"It looks better on you though." He kissed her forehead, a warm blush rising to her cheeks. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?"

"Promise you won't forget this time?" Last time he had scheduled a last minute practice, forgetting all about her.

"I promise."

She held out her pinky, and very seriously, he looped his own with it.

"Now remember Ollie." Fred teased. "If you break a pinky promise, she gets to break your pinky."

"And that would make keeping the Quaffle very painful, Ollie dear." George added.

They had recently caught Lucy calling him Ollie and wouldn't let him live it down.

"Guys, stop." He said. "That rights to that nickname belong to Lucy."

That made her blush even more.

"We'll have to find a better nickname for you then."

"We could make some interesting plays off your last name." George offered.

Oliver groaned. "No."

* * *

"Would you like some cocoa?" Lockhart offered while she sat answering fan mail.

"I'm allergic, but thanks." She didn't even look up from her task, still upset that she still had to do this.

"Allergic to cocoa?"

"To chocolate in general." She sealed yet another envelope.

"That's quite unfortunate." He said, taking a drink out of his mug.

"Tell me about it." She muttered, scanning the words of the lipstick stained letter.

"What was my reason for giving you detention? I have to report to Professor McGonagall."

"Shouldn't you be reporting to the head of my house?"

"Is she not the head of Gryffindor?"

"She is." She paused, holding back either tears or anger, she couldn't tell. "I'm a _Hufflepuff_ though."

"I could have sworn you were a Gryffindor. You always sit at their table."

"I have friends in Gryffindor."

"Aren't Hufflepuffs supposed to be loyal?"

"_We are_. I'm loyal to my friends." She rubbed her wrist, which was starting to cramp from all the writing.

"Oh I remember why I gave you detention!" He started writing furiously, then paused. "That's a ridiculous reason to give someone detention. You can go."

"Okay." She stood, looking at him in disbelief. "Thank you."

"Are you sure you wouldn't like some cocoa before you go?"

"I'm still allergic, sir." She said as she walked out, heading for the library.

* * *

"Lockhart let you go?" Oliver asked, smiling as she sat down next to him.

"Yup. He decided his reasoning for punishing me was invalid."

"That's great. Did you get the essay for Snape done?" They were in the same potions class.

"Of course I did. I even wrote a little extra."

Oliver shook his head in disbelief. "So why exactly do we use dragon spleen rather than manticore?"

Lucy walked over to a shelf, pulled down three books, and showed him where the information he needed was.

Oliver read over one section, then looked at his essay, sighed, and grabbed a fresh roll of parchment. Lucy cracked open her charms book and pulled out her wand to practice wrist movements, but after writing so much for Lockhart, she quickly got a cramp. She set her wand down, instead listlessly flipping through her charms book.

After a few moments, Oliver put his quill down as well. "Do you want to go do something else?"

"That essay is due tomorrow."

"I've got a free period before class, I'll get it done."

"What do you want to do then?"

He was silent for a moment, pensive. "We could go out to the courtyard and stargaze."

"That sounds amazing."

They quickly packed up their stuff and headed outside. It was a bit chilly outside, and Lucy pulled her cloak tightly around herself as they found the perfect place to sit.

They were silent as they both looked for familiar constellations, but there were so many stars out that it was difficult. Lucy yawned and lay her head on Oliver's shoulder, still looking at the sky. He put one arm around her, and she nuzzled his cheek. He turned his head and kissed her, softly.

"We won't see any stars this way." She whispered after a few moments.

"I don't mind." He murmured, leaning in to kiss her again.

They didn't get them very often, but Lucy loved their stolen moments like this, when the stars aligned and there wasn't a professor or prefect in sight. She could have stayed out with him all night, despite the rules and the cold, with his lips on hers, wrapped in each other arms.

They parted with a sigh, not wanting to let go, when the warning bell rang through the castle, all students to their dorms.

"I hate that bell." Lucy complained, taking Oliver's offered hand and allowing him to pull her to her feet.

"Don't blame the bell." He said, wrapping his arms around her waist. She looked up at him, unable to see anything but his form in the darkness, her arms around his neck. He kissed her one more time before saying, "We had better go."

It was times like this that Lucy so wished she was a Gryffindor. "If we have to."

He pressed his lips to her forehead. Neither of them moved. Another bell rang out. Now they were in trouble. It was then that they let go, without another word, and headed off quickly in opposite directions to their common rooms.

She was two corridors and a flight of stairs from being home free when Filch spotted her running, and called after her. She looked back, but decided she could make it, he probably couldn't even tell who she was from this distance.

Finding energy she didn't know she had, she made it down the stairs without tripping, through the corridor, into the kitchens and opening the door to her common room before collapsing inside, panting. She really needed to exercise more.

"You okay Lucy?" Ernie asked, looking up from what he was working on.

She nodded. "Just avoided -" she took a breath. "Filch." Her lungs were burning.

"Good job escaping." Hannah said.

"Thanks." She gasped, getting up to join them.

"Why were you out so late anyway?" Ernie asked as Lucy collapsed gracelessly into an armchair.

"I was out stargazing." She said, her cheeks feeling a little warm.

"It is a beautiful night." Hannah smiled. "I had astronomy earlier."

"I don't think she was seeing a lot of stars." Ernie teased.

Lucy's cheeks suddenly got a lot warmer. "Oh hush."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think!**

**-Zen**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Luuuccccyyyyy, time to wake uuupppppp." Mara's voice called.

She groaned and turned over, covering her head with her pillow.

"Nope." Mara took her pillow away, "Get up."

She curled into a ball. "No."

Suddenly, she was on the floor with her mattress on top of her, wide awake. "That was uncalled for." Lucy complained, crawling out from underneath it.

"I know."

Lucy got up and put her bed back together. "Where's Captain Cuddles?"

"Captain cuddles?"

"My teddy bear."

"Your teddy bear's name is Captain Cuddles?"

"No, actually it's Fred but I changed the name as to not confuse you."

"Yes, I think it would be best if your teddy bear didn't lose its head. And its stuffing."

"_Mara_!"

Mara flashed her a terrifying smile.

"That's creepy – Stop that. Now where is my bear?"

"_Accio teddy bear_." A large rainbow teddy bear flew through the air and landed at Mara's feet. "You would have a rainbow teddy bear." She said, handing it to Lucy.

Lucy plopped onto her bed. "It was a gift from my daddy."

"You're kidding me. That's worse than the pink spotted owl."

"I may be a disgrace to the family, but I'm still his little girl." She burrowed her head into the bear's plush fur. "And don't make fun of Princess, she's a rare breed."

"That's cute, but let's get going."

"Where are we going?" Lucy asked, then paused, looking around the still dark room. "What time is it?"

"About an hour till dawn."

"Mara, its Saturday!"

"Are you coming with me or not?"

"Where are we going?"

Mara paused. "On an adventure."

That was all it took, Lucy jumped up excitedly, dropping her bear on her bed. "Let's go."

"I've never been to this part of the dungeon before." Lucy held her glowing wand in front of her with shaking fingers.

"Most people haven't." Mara said, carefully inspecting each section of wall.

"What are you even looking for?"

"Some special mark or something. I heard there's secret passages down here. Keep looking."

Lucy paused. "This could be a mark it looks like a-" The mark moved. "No it's a spider. Great Merlin's uncombed beard, giant spider. Why did I let you drag me down here? _Mara, kill it_!" She hid behind her friend.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" A green light shot out of the end of Mara's wand and the spider fell to the ground.

"Mara what in the name of Helga Hufflepuff are you doing that's an _unforgivable curse_! You could go to Azkaban for that!" Lucy was in shock.

"It was only a spider."

"You could have used a shoe or something!"

"I couldn't think with you shrieking in my ear. Stop being such a pansy."

"I didn't even know spiders got that big!"

"There's bigger ones in the Forbidden Forest."

"There's _what_?"

"Giant spiders. Are you even listening to me?"

"How do you even know that?"

"I go on walks sometimes."

"I'm turning back."

"Just a little longer."

"Why are we even down here?"

"I have reason to believe that the Chamber of Secrets is down here."

"Well that's my quota of crazy for the day. I'll see you later." Lucy started to turn back.

"Don't be such a Hufflepuff."

"_I am a Hufflepuff_!" She squeaked.

"Well, be less of one for a moment. Channel you inner Gryffindor. You wear the colors enough."

"Some other day, maybe, but I have date plans later that don't involve being dead or petrified."

"Sounds boring to me."

"Mara, please."

"_Fine_. I'm pretty sure your brother doesn't know what he's talking about anyway."

"You dragged me out of bed and into the creepiest part of the castle for something my idiot brother said?"

"He could have been right."

"He could also be a pile of slugs sewn into human skin. Both are equally possible."

* * *

Lucy sat at a back table at the Three Broomsticks, sipping slowly at her Butterbeer and still trying to calm down from that morning.

Oliver was supposed to have met her here an hour ago. The place bustled with activity, and from her vantage point she could see everything. She tried not to make it obvious that she was watching the door.

The chimes on the door tinkled, and the twins walked in, giving her hope. She watched them, hoping Oliver wasn't far behind. When he wasn't, she returned to pretending to read her book.

Naturally, Fred and George walked right over to where she was sitting. "Hey guys." She said with a forced smile.

"Hey. Mind if we join you?" George asked, returning her smile with a genuine one.

"I don't mind." She said, closing her book.

"He forgot, didn't he?" Fred said as he sat down next to his brother.

"Yup." She took another sip of her drink.

"Want us to break his pinky for you?" George offered.

"It's a win-win, we'd probably get out of _at least_ one practice."

"No guys, it's okay."

"He doesn't exactly have his priorities straight."

"I know. I'm not mad." She picked up her book. "I brought reading material."

"We could talk to him for you."

"Better you two than Mara, but I can handle it."

"Where is Mara?" Fred asked curiously.

"Sleeping. She was up early searching for secret passages."

"We have a map if that would help."

"Don't encourage her." Lucy tried her best to look stern. "I mean it."

"We're only trying to help."

"I'm sure you mean well."

"Would you boys like anything?" Madame Rosmerta asked, smiling.

"Firewhisky please."

"Make that two."

"You know I can't give you that." She laughed, pointing her pencil at them.

The twins looked at each other. "Hot chocolate then, please." They said in unison. Lucy always wondered if they planned that stuff in advance.

"I'll be right back."

"You better keep your poison away from me this time." Lucy warned once Rosmerta had left.

"Oh, are you allergic, Lucy dear?" Fred asked innocently.

"You know I am."

"Sounds like someone else we know… who am I thinking of Freddie?"

"Oliver Wood, perhaps?"

"Our team captain, has a weakness that we can exploit, what?"

"Stop it, guys." Lucy warned, hoping they wouldn't sing the song. She and Oliver had met in the infirmary last year when they both had managed to get into a large amounts of chocolate without realizing it, and Fred and George refused to let them live it down.

"Oh, but your story is so romantic."

"Puking in unison in the hospital wing." George sighed.

"When your innards hit the pail and you bellow like a whale, that's amore!" They sang.

Lucy turned every shade of red. "I thought you were going to quit with that song."

"Of course not. We sing it to Ollie when we want him to stop talking. It even works during Quidditch practice." Fred grinned.

"Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"The couple that spews together, stays together."

Lucy covered her face with her hands and groaned.

"These two ruffians giving you any trouble Lucy?" Madame Rosmerta asked as she set the twin's drinks in front of them.

"No, they're okay. Weird, but okay."

"You gave me the wrong drink. This is Fred's cocoa."

"Madame Rosmerta, I am appalled that you would mess up our order this badly."

"I'm sorry boys. Would you like some cookies to make things better?"

"Please. And something without chocolate for the lady. Her idiot boyfriend has stood her up, yet again."

"Thanks for the support guys."

"Unless you want to rekindle your romance by returning to the hospital wing. We will turn our heads if you wish to down both mugs of cocoa."

"Don't kill my favorite customer. I'll be back with some cookies."

"I thought we were your favorite customers!" They called as she walked away.

"Not since the incident with the frogs." She called without a returning glance.

"Incident with the frogs?" Lucy asked.

"It was an accident."

"Sure it was."

* * *

Upon their return to the castle, Lucy and the twins found Oliver in the Gryffindor common room, snoring into his charms textbook.

George leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Less Quidditch practice… less Quidditch practice…. cancel practice when it's storming and you'll be sure to win the Quidditch cup…."

"What is he trying to do?" She asked.

"Reconditioning his unconscious mind. We do this every time we catch him sleeping."

"Does it work?"

"He called off practice during a hail storm, once." That was progress.

Oliver snorted and opened his eyes, pushing George away. "Is it morning already?"

"Ready for practice, captain." Lucy replied.

Suddenly wide awake, he jumped up. "We had better get to the pitch before Slytherin claims it again."

"_Oliver_." Lucy said.

He spun around. "Lucy." A wave of realization hit him. "I am so sorry."

Fred spoke before she could forgive him. "You broke a pinky promise, Oliver."

"We're here to collect." George added. The two of them actually looked kind of menacing.

Oliver gave her a confused look.

Lucy laughed. "They're kidding."

"You underestimate us."

"_Guys._" Lucy said.

The both of them put up their hands in mock surrender. "You want to do the honors yourself, we understand."

Lucy laughed. In the end, no pinkies were broken.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think!**

**-Zen**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: Do any of you happen to enjoy the Marauders? Well, my amazing roommate is working on a Marauder's fic right now, and you should check it out. An Age of Mischief, by Kallypso. :) Also, if you're not into Maruaders fics, she has a bunch of fics for other genres as well!**

* * *

_Chapter 4 _

"I don't understand why wizards don't use Muggle weapons." Mara said, scowling at her history homework.

"Well, because we have magic." Lucy looked up at her from her book. She was curled up in a comfy chair in a quiet corner of the library, Mara spread out on a couch with her homework spread out around her like she had just been hit with a disarming curse.

"The only other wizard in my family is Uncle Bob and we kill people just fine without it. _Draught of the Living Death_, hmph, I could cook up something far more powerful than that without a drop of magic."

"Magic isn't just for killing, Mara." She kicked her feet over the arm of her chair, settling into a more comfortable position. "Also, isn't your uncle Bob in Azkaban?"

"I think he's out on parole." She paused, "Or at least he was at the last family reunion. Something could have happened since then."

"How did we become friends again?"

"I watched you get sorted into Hufflepuff and wanted to know what kind of Malfoy falls that far from the tree."

"And when I wasn't a conniving brat you still decided to stay?"

"Well both of us can't be the evil one. We'd get in each other's way."

"You're not evil."

"Compared to you I am."

Lucy laughed. "That's quite a polarizing comparison."

"Opposites attract."

"What about Oliver and me?"

"I refuse to speak about him right now."

"He didn't mean to stand me up."

"Falling asleep is no excuse."

"It was an accident. I had a nice day with Fred and George anyway."

"You hung out with Fred and didn't tell – I mean why would you want to spend time with those idiots?"

"He asked where you were."

"Good for him."

Lucy sighed, looking up to see her little brother walking towards her.

"Draco _darling_, how are you little brother?" She held out her arms, looking up at him.

"I'm not going to hug you."

"But Drakie, it's official _Hug a Slytherin_ day!" She jumped up and tackled him into a hug.

"Get off me." He grunted, and Lucy let him go, after messing up his hair.

"You use _way_ too much hair gel." She complained, wiping the excess on his sleeve.

"That went out of style ages ago." Mara added.

Draco gave Mara an irritated look before returning his gaze to Lucy. "Lucretia, why do you insist upon acting like an idiot?"

She refused to dignify that with an answer. "Why do you insist on calling me by my full name?"

"Because Lucy is childish and unbecoming."

"Whatever you say, baby brother." She cooed.

Draco scowled. "I need your help."

"I'll help!" Mara chimed in "Who do you need me to kill?"

Draco looked at her then back to his sister. "Is she serious?"

"No." Lucy said.

"Liar!" Mara hissed.

"He doesn't need anyone killed, Mara."

"How do you know that?"

"Because he came to me for help." Lucy returned to her chair, smiling innocently. "Do you need help asking Potter out? I can give you some tips."

"I-I'm not going to ask him out. Now are you going to be serious?"

"I was being serious." Lucy grinned wide. "However, since you're the one that needs something, I can be as ridiculous as I want, as I'm probably your last resort." She was enjoying this a little too much.

Mara gave her a surprised look. "You feeling okay?"

"What do you need, little brother?"

"Do you happen to know any Hufflepuff Quidditch secrets?"

"Why would I know team secrets? I don't play Quidditch."

"Find some out for me, I need Slytherin to win the house cup."

"Did you make a deal with father?"

"No."

"You wrinkle your nose when you lie."

"I do not!" He covered his nose with his hand.

"What did he offer you?"

"There was no deal."

Lucy shrugged. "I'll find out eventually. Either way, I'm not helping you."

"I thought Hufflepuffs were supposed to be loyal."

"We're also just. That means fair play. Nice try though."

"What got into you?" Mara asked once Draco had gone.

"What do you mean?"

"You got really… non Lucy all of a sudden."

"That's real descriptive."

"You know what I mean."

"Just because I'm nice doesn't mean I don't know how to stand up for what I believe in." She replied. "I grew up a Malfoy, I know how to keep people from getting what they want without getting hurt."

"I think I just realized why I want to be your friend."

"Well it only took you four years."

* * *

"Lucy, wait up!" Oliver called, running up behind her as she walked to her common room. She stopped and waited for him to catch up. "I've been looking for you all over."

"Did you try Snape's classroom? I'm always there on Tuesday nights for Potions Club." Lucy was club president.

"I knew that, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You should join us sometime. If we have a member from each house we get more funding."

"I don't want to give Snape further chances to take points from Gryffindor."

"Yeah… that's why we don't have any Gryffindors." Lucy was the token Hufflepuff.

"Do you want to hang out for a while or something?" He changed the subject. "My parents just sent me a _ton_ of candy."

She grinned. "Of course."

"I haven't even heard of half of these candies." Lucy said, picking up a square, yellow tube. The Gryffindor common room was empty except for a handful of students in the corner that were poring over star charts. "What are Starburst?"

"They're apparently a Muggle candy. Mom and dad went to visit some family in the states and bought a whole bunch of chocolate-free candy for us."

"For us?"

"Yeah, I mean, I did tell them about you. According to my little brother all I did last summer was talk about Quidditch and you."

Lucy felt her cheeks flush.

"You're so cute when you do that."

The heat in her cheeks grew warmer, and she buried her face in her hands. Once she thought it was safe, she looked back up at him. "Thanks."

Oliver smiled. "Haven't you told your parents about us?"

"Well." She paused, biting her lip. She actually hadn't. "My brother knows … obviously. Mom and Dad weren't home most of last summer, so I never got the chance." It wasn't exactly a lie.

"Oh, that's okay. I mean, we've only been together like… Eight months"

"Nine." It would be a year in February. It had been Valentine's Day candy that had put them both in the hospital wing. So romantic.

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize."

In the silence, Lucy unwrapped the starburst package to find multicolor squares. She picked up an orange one. "What is the point of this?"

He took a pink one out of the package. "Do you think it's a trick, like you keep unwrapping until there's nothing there?"

"Sounds like something Fred and George would create." She unwrapped the candy. "Nope, not a trick."

"Try it."

"You first."

"It's not poison, Lucy."

"I know." She bit off a corner. "It's kind of like the orange every flavor bean, only chewier." She ate the entire square. It was actually pretty good.

"Hmm." He unwrapped his, eating it without the caution that Lucy had. "Oh, this is awful." He swallowed it, making a face.

"If it was that bad, why did you swallow it?"

"It was already in my mouth."

She shook her head. "Do you suppose there's good and bad flavors like every flavor beans?"

"Maybe?" He looked at the wrapper. "Strawberry. That did not taste like a strawberry."

"Try this." She unwrapped an orange one and fed it to him.

He made over exaggerated faces while he chewed. "Hmm…" He paused. "I deduce that there is absolutely no real fruit in these candies."

"Astute deduction."

"Perhaps a different candy would be better." He picked up a red package. "Twizzlers?"

"They kind of look like licorice wands."

He opened the package and pulled one out with a flourish. It drooped. "Well that is just damn sad." He looked down at it with a fake pout.

Lucy giggled.

He swung the Twizzler around. "Wingardium Leviosa!"

"No, it's swish and flick." She took his hand and made the gesture with him. He laughed and tried to feed one of the Twizzlers to her, but she refused. "Nuh-uh. You first this time."

"I see how it is, pushing me into the line of fire."

"You're the _brave _Gryffindor."

"I will defend you from the terrible candy, my lady." He took a bite, then frowned. "What flavor is this supposed to be?"

She looked at the package. "Strawberry."

"This is better than the Starburst … but a far cry from a strawberry."

"I never knew you were a strawberry connoisseur."

"Strawberries are my life."

"I thought Quidditch was your life."

"Okay, you caught me. Have you ever thought about trying to play?"

"If I was good at the staying on the broom thing, maybe." The last time she had tried to fly, she had crashed through the stained glass window into a belfry of a nearby church, breaking her broomstick and her arm, as well as gaining a nasty concussion from slamming into the church bell. Her ears had rung for days.

"I could teach you."

"My family already has one terrible Quidditch player."

He chuckled. "You could balance it out by being a great one."

"Until the one of the twins kills me with a Bludger."

"No one has died playing Quidditch at Hogwarts."

"There's a first time for everything."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think!**

**-Zen**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I realize that Bellatrix Lestrange doesn't break out of Azkaban till the fifth book, but for the sake of the story, I felt the need to change canon :)**

* * *

Chapter 5

"Aunt Bellatrix wants to know if you are planning on coming home for winter break, Lucretia." Draco said, sitting next to her in the library.

"Will the loving parents not be home for the holidays again?"

"They'll be home for Christmas, but are otherwise engaged."

"I do love Auntie Bella. It depends on what Ollie and Mara are doing though."

"Your nicknames for people are atrocious."

"_Aw_ but Drakie-poo." She stuck out her tongue.

"Don't. Ever." He gave her a threatening look.

"I'm so scared."

"Why do I bother talking to you?"

"Because I'm your big sister and I'm all you have in this big bad world." She gave her brother a smile. "Let your guard down every once in a while. You don't have to hate everyone."

Draco stood up. "Just let our aunt know if you're coming home for the holidays, okay Lucretia?"

"It won't kill you to call me Lucy. Even daddy calls me Lucy."

"Father has given up hope for you. I haven't."

"I'm flattered."

* * *

"You have a Nimbus 2001?" Oliver asked once Lucy met him on the Quidditch pitch.

"Yeah, I mean, dad wasn't just going to buy one for my little brother." She paused, "And the entire Slytherin team – _sorry_."

He shrugged. "It's not your fault. _Anyway_, have you ever flown it?"

"No." She replied truthfully. She just finally unwrapped it.

"Can I see it?"

"Sure." She handed it over.

"Oh this is gorgeous." He started spouting specification things that she didn't understand. "Our Seeker has the previous model but it isn't as nice as this." His gaze fell to her name engraved in the handle in pink and silver calligraphy. "Your full name is Lucretia?"

"Yeah." She said, taking her broom back from him. "It's a form of my father's name, Lucius." She explained.

"Oh."

"You really didn't know that?"

"No." He shook his head. "You introduce yourself as Lucy. I've never heard anything else."

He did have a point, when she arrived at Hogwarts her first year, she had made certain that everyone called her Lucy. "My brother calls me Lucretia sometimes, but I don't really appreciate it."

"It's a pretty name."

She didn't agree, but she didn't want to be rude about it. "Thanks. So, what is your plan for dragging me out here?"

"I said I'd teach you how to play Quidditch, didn't I?"

"I, uh, that's sweet but…"

"You don't know how to fly, do you?"

"I can fly." She said, drawing out each word. "Kind of. I mean, Madame Hooch did teach us some basics back in first year."

"We can start there then. Do you remember how to mount a broom?"

"Yeah. You just sorta swing one leg over and –"As she did so, she lost her balance, tumbling to the ground.

Oliver helped her up. "Here, let me show you."

Eventually, they got to the point where she was hovering about a foot off the ground.

"Awesome." She said. "Great work today, let's go back to the castle."

"We haven't been out here for that long." He mounted his own broom, joining her in midair. "Follow me, okay? We're just going to go for a little lap around the pitch."

"I suddenly remembered, there's a potions essay I forgot about."

"Lucy, we're in the same potions class."

She sighed, suddenly regretting her aptitude in potions that placed her in class with sixth years. "Lead the way then."

He slowly led her around. She was paying such close attention to following him that she didn't realize they had been rising in altitude until she was about level with the top of the Ravenclaw viewing tower. Of course she looked down.

She stopped at once, digging her fingernails into the handle of her broom with the force of her grip. "Oliver!"

He didn't hear her. She called again, this time at the top of her lungs.

He spun around and was beside her in an instant. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head. Her knuckles were starting to turn white and she felt horribly dizzy.

"Lucy, what's wrong?"

"I want to be back on the ground." She trembled, her broom starting to shake with her.

"Okay, just slowly start to decrease in altitude." He dipped down below her. "Like this."

"O-ok-kay." She stuttered, trying to follow his lead. Her mind was racing, thinking about all the horrible broomstick accidents she had heard of. In her haste to get to the ground, she shifted her weight the wrong way, taking off like a rocket into the air. She screamed closing her eyes and veering wildly to the left as a tower rushed into her view. When she opened her eyes again she had left the pitch and was rushing above the lake.

"_Lucy! Slow down_!"

She tried to shift her weight back, losing her grip and sliding off the tail end of the broom. It flew off without her and she started to fall. She fumbled in her robes, trying to find her wand. "_Accio_ _Broo-_!" She landed ungracefully in Oliver's arms.

"Oh thank God." He gasped, holding her tight against him. "I thought you were going to land in the lake."

She looked down at the frigid water some ten feet below them before burying her face in his chest.

"It's okay." He said, maneuvering one hand to the handle of his broom, the other holding her against him. She wrapped her arms around him tighter, her heart pounding in her ears.

"You can let go now, we're on solid ground." Oliver said a few moments later.

She turned her head to look, and he set her softly down. "Thank you."

"Are you okay?" He asked.

She nodded. "Wait." Something was missing. She checked her pockets. "Where is my wand?"

"You had it out when I caught you." He paused. "You must have dropped it."

Lucy turned to look at the lake she had nearly fallen into. "No. _No._" She collapsed on the ground, her face in her hands.

He kneeled beside her, putting his arm around her. "We'll get it back."

"How?"

"A summoning charm might work." He pulled out his own wand. "_Accio Lucy's Wand_."

Lucy looked at the lake hopefully, but nothing happened.

"_Accio Lucretia's Wand_." He tried again. "_Accio_!" Nothing. "Lucy, I am so sorry. I'll go get a professor okay? Maybe they can help."

Lucy merely nodded.

Oliver started to run towards the castle, then stopped and ran back, giving her a hug and kiss on the cheek before grabbing his broomstick and taking off towards the castle at high speed.

* * *

"What were you two even doing?" Professor McGonagall asked once she and Oliver had made it back to the lake.

"I was trying to teach Lucy how to play." Oliver responded defensively.

"You seem to be quite the distance from the pitch."

"It was my fault professor, I got scared and misdirected my broom." Lucy was trying her best not to cry.

"Where is your broom?" McGonagall asked.

"I don't know." Lucy stammered. "I fell off at such a high speed. If Olli-ver" she quickly corrected herself from saying her ridiculous nickname for him "hadn't caught me, then my wand wouldn't be the only thing in the lake."

"Yes, Wood has already told me of his heroics." She said, looking proudly at her house's Quidditch captain.

"Can you get her wand back for us professor?"

"I can try." McGonagall said, "But the lake hasn't given back a wand in fifty years."

"This has happened before?" Lucy asked.

"Not quite, but there have been … unkind students who have thrown other student's wands into the lake."

"That's terrible."

McGonagall tried a few spells that Lucy did not recognize, her spirits sinking with each failure. Oliver knelt beside her, trying to keep her from getting more upset.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing more I can do." McGonagall said after some time, frowning, but without her usual sternness.

Suddenly, from out of the lake came the squid's tentacles, jets of water bursting from where they emerged, one such jet narrowly missing them. When Lucy opened her eyes, at her feet lay her wand, the end of a tentacle curled around it. She reached out tentatively, afraid it was some trick. She looked up, the eyes of the squid watching her from the water. The tentacle uncurled, and Lucy placed her hand on her wand, slowly taking it back.

"Thank you!" She called to the beast, and it splashed a bit more water at her before returning to the lake.

"In all my years… I have never seen anything like that." McGonagall said.

"Has this not happened before?" Oliver asked.

"No." She replied.

"What spell did you use to do that?" Lucy asked.

"That was not my doing." The professor replied, "That was – I don't even know what that was."

"Well thank you for your help." Oliver said.

"Yes, thank you." Lucy said.

"You're welcome. Just try and stay in the Quidditch pitch next time, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am." Lucy said.

"We're not in trouble, are we?" Oliver asked.

"No, you haven't technically broken any rules. But I would suggest to leave the teaching of Quidditch to your own house, Mr. Wood."

"That wasn't very nice." Lucy waited until McGonagall was out of earshot before saying this.

"No, but she means well."

Lucy nodded, deciding not to push the issue. "Where do you think my broom went?"

"Probably towards the Forbidden Forest. Try and summon it."

Lucy nodded, first shaking the water and squid slime off her wand. "_Accio Broomstick_!"

A pile of what used to be her broomstick in front of her. She frowned. Oliver seemed to be more upset than she was at the destruction of her broom.

"At least I got my wand back." Lucy said, looking up at her distressed boyfriend.

He nodded with a forced smile. "Yeah…"

"Shame, you won't be able to teach me how to play anymore."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think!**

**-Zen**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lucy woke up from her nap feeling like she had been hit by the Hogwarts Express. Everything hurt. She forced herself to sit up in her bed, holding her stomach. Dragging herself out of bed, she half stumbled, half crawled to the small dormitory bathroom.

"You alright Lucy?" One of her housemates asked her as she struggled to hold herself up on the sink.

"Feeling a little under the weather." Her tongue was almost too heavy in her mouth to speak.

"Do you want me to take you to the hospital wing?"

Lucy merely nodded, nearly falling to the floor.

"I'm Thora, by the way." The girl said as she helped her up.

"I'm L-Lucy." She stuttered.

"I know, lean against me, okay?"

"I can't -" Lucy collapsed onto a couch on the common room.

"I'll get someone to carry you, okay?" Thora said as she coaxed her to lie on her side rather than stomach. "Do you think you might throw up?"

"I don't know." She gasped.

Thora put a wastebasket beside her. "I'll be right back."

She returned a few minutes with Anthony and Michael, the beaters for the house's Quidditch team.

Anthony knelt beside her, "We're going to get you to the hospital wing, okay?"

She murmured something that was supposed to be "Okay."

"We're going to have to carry you, so don't freak out, okay?" Anthony and Michael had been the ones to carry her to the hospital wing last year when she had an allergic reaction, and in her panicked delirium, as magical chocolate elicits a far worse reaction than ordinary chocolate, she had given Anthony a black eye.

"Mhmm." She mumbled.

In a few moments she was in the air, her weight supported between the two boys. "You'll be okay Lucy, we promise."

She didn't have the energy to answer.

They carried her through the halls, the crowds parting to stare. Rumors quickly started that she had been petrified, the next victim of the monster. A pure-blood this time, no one was safe.

"Has she gotten into more chocolate?" Madam Pomfrey asked the boys once they reached the wing.

"Thora said she had almost collapsed in the bathroom, saying she felt sick." Anthony said, "When she had an allergic reaction last year she wasn't like this."

"Here, lay her down on the bed." She helped the boys gently lay her down. "Lucy, are you awake?"

Lucy tried to respond but only managed a small groan.

"She was talking before but she seems to have gotten worse." Michael said.

Madam Pomfrey nodded, then sent the boys off to class with her thanks for their help, but that was all Lucy registered before blacking out.

* * *

Oliver's voice was the first thing Lucy heard when she gained consciousness again. She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids seemed sewn shut, so she resigned to listen, the words murky in her half delirious state.

"She hasn't been attacked, has she?"

"No, she was responsive this morning, so she's not petrified."

"Can I see her?"

"For a few minutes, but don't expect her to wake up. Her friend Mara has been in and out of here all day and hasn't seen so much as an eyelid flutter."

"Anyone else been in to see her?"

"The two that brought her in, Anthony and Michael, they wanted to see if she was doing any better."

"The Hufflepuff players?"

"Yes, I don't know why it took both of them to carry her though. Those two look like they could carry someone your size without much difficulty. Anyway, go on in."

"Thank you."

"Lucy… are you awake?" She felt his hand wrap around hers. Her fingers twitched. "Do you know what's wrong with her?"

"I was thinking it was a bug or something, but no ordinary remedy seems to be doing any good." Madam Pomfrey answered, putting a hot hand on her forehead. "Her skin is freezing."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Can you tell me where she's been today?"

"She was out on the Quidditch pitch with me earlier, then she went to her dorm to take a nap."

"Has anything of note happened?"

"Well, she lost control of her broom, and dropped her wand in the lake. The squid gave it back though."

"Really now?"

"Yeah. It was incredible."

"Anything else?"

"Her broom was smashed to pieces in the Forbidden Forest. She got it back with an Accio charm. Oh, she got a couple splinters in her wrist trying to clean it up."

"Were they splinters or did they puncture the skin?"

"There was a little blood, but she said she was fine. She pulled them out herself."

"Which wrist?"

"The right."

Lucy started to lose consciousness again, but struggled to stay awake, even if she couldn't help herself, she didn't want to fade away completely.

"I'm going to need you to leave for a little while."

"Have I done something wrong?"

"No, I just need to examine her wound and I can't have you in here when I do that. You can come back in a little while."

She lost her senses at the end of their conversation, the last thing to fade away was Oliver's hand still holding hers.

Sounds crackled at the edge of Lucy's consciousness, and she struggled to understand them.

"She should wake up soon." She could not place the voice, but some part of her knew it was Madam Pomfrey's.

"Lucy… please wake up." Mara's voice seemed to be right next to her ear. "This castle is extremely gloomy without your face."

"Not so close, you don't want to frighten her when she first wakes up."

"Is she going to be okay?" Her voice was further away now.

"It'll just take some time to get the poison out of her system." Poison?

"This would happen to you Lucy. Almost killed by a broken broomstick."

Lucy managed a murmur in response.

"That's right, wake up you magnificent klutz."

"Mara, don't make me ask you to leave."

"It's working though, I got her to respond."

"Still, be nice."

"Fine." There was a pause. "I think you've got a secret admirer that doesn't know you very well. Someone sent you chocolate frogs. Nothing says _get well soon_ like something that will put you right back in the hospital."

There was a commotion of voices. "I'll be right back."

"Half of your house is here to see you Lucy, how did you get so popular? Who else is here? There are two idiot gingers, your boyfriend, hey you have half of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Ironic huh?"

Lucy opened her eyes, trying to focus on her friend but all the colors blurred.

"Madam Pomfrey, her eyes are open, she's awake!" Mara called. "Awww, she's sending them all away."

"Are you awake Lucy?" Madam Pomfrey said. The colors had finally stabilized.

"Yes." She croaked.

"Do you know where you are?"

"Of course she knows where she is."

"Mara, if you would join the rest of Lucy's visitors in the hall."

Mara seemed as though she might protest, but did as told.

Lucy tried to push herself into a sitting position, and with aid of Madam Pomfrey managed to accomplish it.

"Am I going to be okay?" She asked.

"You're going to be just fine, it's going to take a while though. I haven't had to treat anything like this in a long time."

"What –" She tried to speak but her voice was raspy.

"Drink this." Madam Pomfrey pressed a cup to her lips. "Slowly." She added.

Lucy obeyed, sipping the cold liquid, strength filling her with every sip. When the cup was empty, she tried to speak again. "What was wrong with me?"

"When your broom broke, some of its pieces were contaminated by something in the forest. The splinters you got poisoned your blood."

"Oh. How long have I been out of it?"

"Three days."

Lucy sighed in relief, it wasn't as bad as she expected.

"I don't think you've totally recovered, so I'm going to keep you for another night."

Lucy nodded.

"Would you like some visitors, or would you like to rest?"

"I wouldn't mind a couple people."

"Who would you like to see?"

"Mara, and is Oliver here?"

"He's been living between here and the Quidditch pitch."

* * *

"Is she letting you go?" Mara asked as she sat in a chair beside the bed.

"One more night was what she said." Oliver answered for her, taking the seat closest to Lucy.

"This is what happens when you try and play sports."

"Hey, I could be a great athlete."

"Just not at Quidditch, or anything involving brooms."

"It's a shame though, you had a great form." Oliver tried to defend her.

"I think I'll leave that to you. I'd rather cheer you on."

"Don't get cute on me, I might be sick." Mara complained.

"Well you're in the best place for it." Lucy responded, earning her a scowl from Mara.

"I seriously want to know though, who sent you the chocolate?" Mara said, picking up one of the packages that was sitting on the bedside table.

"You can have them Mara."

"That's not what I was asking, but alright." She opened up the package. "Circe" She said, reading the card. "Greek witch who turned sailors into pigs. I've been looking for this one."

"She seems like your type of witch." Lucy said, taking Oliver's hand.

"It's something I would do. I turned my sister into a dog once. It's how we found out I was magical."

"You turned your sister into a dog?" Oliver asked.

"She was being a bitch."

Despite the fact that Lucy knew the story, she still laughed.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think!**

**-Zen**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Lucy put her hand over the small scabs now forming on her wrist, three tiny marks that had barely pierced her skin. Madam Pomfrey said that the most likely cause was poison apples that grew in the forest, and when her broom broke the pieces fell among the rotting apples on the ground. Between the magic in the broom and the magic of the poison, the wood had soaked it up like a sponge and had injected it into her bloodstream as soon as it broke through her skin.

She looked at herself in the mirror, while she had been released from the hospital wing a couple days ago, she still looked pale and sick, her veins visible beneath her skin. It would be some time before the full effects had totally worn off.

She picked up her hairbrush, running it through her long blond hair before slowly braiding it. She didn't feel like bothering with makeup, but she hoped it would make her look like less of a ghost.

Walking down the stairs to the common room, she was surprised to find Mara and Oliver waiting for her. "How did you two get in here?"

Oliver pointed to Mara, who grinned. "Remember that time last year when I got you drunk?"

"You're how I learned to mix my own drinks. But what are you two doing here?"

"We thought you might like an escort to class, being as it's your first day back and all." Oliver said.

"Are you two conspiring together now?"

"Only when it comes to taking care of you." Mara said. "Honestly, he just needed help finding your common room. He seems to be useless when he's not on a broom."

Oliver opened his mouth to protest but Lucy was the one that defended him. "He does schoolwork sometimes too." She sat down next to him and looked up at Mara, who was perched on a table.

"Thanks, I think." Oliver put his arm around her. "How are you feeling?"

"More like a sentient being today. Also I am starving. I haven't been able to eat real food yet."

"Do you want to get something to eat? We have plenty of time."

"It's your turn to hold her hair back if she tosses it all."

"Thanks Mara." Lucy stuck out her tongue.

* * *

"She's back from the dead!" Fred exclaimed as she sat down across from him, taking a seat between Oliver and Mara.

"She looks more alive than we do." His twin added.

"If we were to… say, befall a similar accident to Lucy, would we be free from Quidditch practice?"

"This morning was not that bad." Oliver defended, "We actually made great progress."

"You had practice this morning?" Lucy asked.

"We rode at dawn." Fred said dramatically.

"Or rather, slightly before dawn, in that beautiful time of 'if our team captain wakes us up any earlier, we _will_ stage a mutiny'." George added.

"I appreciate your loyalty."

"We're Gryffindors, loyalty is not our forte."

"What's bravery without loyalty though? There's nothing worth fighting for." Lucy stated while buttering a piece of toast.

"The Hufflepuff has a point. Teach us your ways, oh loyal one."

"Just because I'm a Hufflepuff doesn't mean I'm the authority on loyalty." She looked up at them. "Do you think Ravenclaw has a monopoly on intelligence? Or Slytherins the market on cunning?" She took a bite. Her stomach rose up to protest, but she forced it to stay down.

"We have all of the cunning." Mara said. "**_All of it_**. The second I was sorted all of the cunning from those who had been sorted into other housed flowed into me. Slytherins are the gods of cunning. Stick to your own domain, losers." Mara triumphantly took a drink.

"Well, glad we got that sorted out." Fred said.

"Yes. Your bravery means nothing in the face of my epic strategy."

"Is that a challenge?" Fred winked.

Mara scoffed. "A challenge implies that I see you as a worthy opponent."

Oliver whispered in Lucy's ear "Is she always like that?"

"Worse when she's tired." She replied.

Lucy tuned them out for a while, focusing on eating food and keeping it down.

"A duel then?" This brought her back to their conversation.

Lucy covered Mara's mouth. "Nope, no dueling – _Ow_!" Mara had bitten her. "What was that for?"

"I didn't draw blood."

Lucy looked at her palm. The imprints of Mara's teeth were there, but no blood. "That doesn't make it any better."

"I'm not poisonous, I promise."

"I'm not so sure."

"Please don't send her back to the hospital wing." Oliver pulled her away from Mara.

"Oh, but we bonded so much while sitting in the waiting room."

"You did teach me to play poker, but still."

"Don't play poker with Mara, she cheats." Quipped Fred.

"You do too!" Mara defended.

"I don't cheat, _I play creatively_."

Lucy looked up at Oliver, who was still holding her against him. "What are we going to do with those two?"

"We could lock them in a room together and watch them fight to the death, but I need my player in one piece."

"I don't think that's what they'd be doing if we locked them up together."

"I still need him in one piece."

"I'm sure if he can handle Bludgers he can handle Mara."

"Maybe if we give him a bat to defend himself."

* * *

"You two aren't actually going to duel, are you?" Lucy asked Mara as they walked to History of Magic.

"Being as your boyfriend probably wouldn't appreciate me damaging one of his players, no."

"_Sure_, that's the only reason."

"He's lucky he plays Quidditch, or I would be forced to kill him. It looks like I'm trying to make Slytherin win otherwise."

"My brother would appreciate that."

"It would make your family like me more."

"My family hasn't even met you." Lucy sat down and started pulling her books out of her bag.

"No, but I am one of them. I believe that we were switched at birth."

"Your birthday is six months before mine."

"Time travel." Mara sat beside her. "I still don't understand this quill and ink thing." She said as she picked up her quill. "Seriously, have you ever heard of an ink pen?" Blood red ink (or at least, Lucy hoped it was ink) dripped from the nib onto one of Mara's books.

"What are you talking about?"

"Purebloods." Mara scoffed.

"It doesn't make me any different than you."

"Thoughts like that are why you're not a Slytherin."

"I know, I'm an embarrassment to my family."

"Seriously, how does a Malfoy get put in Hufflepuff?"

"Same way a Muggle born gets put in Slytherin. Lineage doesn't matter."

Their conversation turned to hushed whispers as Professor Binns started lecturing.

"How do you guys stay so 'pure-blooded' anyway?"

"Mother has compiled a list of cousins that are distant enough for me to consider marrying." She shuddered at the thought. "Family reunions are bloody awful."

Mara looked like she might gag. "So you haven't told them about you and Ollie?"

"I …" She squeaked. "I intend to. At the right time." She pretended to take a couple notes to avoid Mara's gaze.

"What do you consider the right time?"

"Um… Mother, Father, I'm running away to marry someone who isn't a pure-blood, okay, bye."

"What if your little brother says something?"

"I have taken… preventative measures against that."

"How so?"

"I'm his big sister. I've got years of blackmail on him."

"I don't know Lucy, that is a pretty important thing he has over you."

"I… I know. He's not a complete monster."

"I think you should tell them." Mara advised. "You'll be home for winter break after all."

"Yeah…." Lucy paused. "What are you doing over break?"

"Probably staying here, holidays around my family are a battlefield. Why?"

"Want to come home with me?"

"What?"

"Stay with my family over break. You can meet my aunt Bella."

"Bella?"

"Bellatrix. She's in charge of the bro and me until my parents get back."

"You mean _Bellatrix Lestrange_, the Death Eater?"

"Yeah, she's my aunt."

"Your parents have strange taste in babysitters."

"This is coming from you."

"I've never been babysat by a crimina – actually, never mind. Anyway, are you sure they'll be okay with that?"

"I already asked. They were overjoyed that I have a friend like you."

"You mean a Slytherin?"

"Yeah – I needed a bargaining chip."

"You are – cleverer than I give you credit for. Well done young one."

"Is the Goddess of Cunning pleased?"

"I demand sacrifice."

"How about Fred?"

"How about you?"

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think!**

**-Zen**


	8. Chapter 8

**Fun fact, while there are really not a lot of them in the fic, Lucy / Draco scenes are among my favorite to write. I think Draco would have been a completely different person if he had a big sister, whether she was like Lucy or not :)**

* * *

Chapter 8

"Mara, what are you doing to that chocolate frog?"

Mara looked up from her destruction, knife still in hand. "I'm cutting off their limbs so they can't hop away."

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to play with your food?"

"No. My mother taught me important things. Like how to know when someone is lying, and the best methods of torture."

"That's wonderful." Lucy snuggled deeper into her warm blanket, resigned to spend her afternoon watching her best friend mutilate chocolate animals.

The Slytherin common room was bursting with what a generous soul might call life, and the two of them had claimed a small couch and table in a corner.

"They're taking bets on whose next, you know." Mara said, still intently focused on her dissection.

"Next for what?"

"The creature's attacks. A lot of people are betting on The Boy Who Lived, but some people think it'll go after more Muggle-borns first."

"Do you feel threatened?"

"Of course not. I'm a Slytherin." Mara held up a tiny piece of chocolate. "Oh look at that, a little heart. It's still beating, too." She looked down at her frog. "Oh damn, it stopped croaking."

"Of course it stopped croaking. You cut out its heart."

"I wonder if I put it back if it'll start croaking again." Mara turned back to her work.

"Just be sure to wash your hands after you're done."

"Don't you want to hold hands and skip merrily?"

"After you've washed your hands."

"I won't want to skip then. The chocolate gives me the will to skip."

"Stop trying to kill me, Mara."

"Fine, fine." Mara said, trying to place the chocolate heart back into the frog. "Are you afraid?"

"I highly doubt I'm an enemy of the heir."

"You are a Hufflepuff."

"I'm also a pure-blood."

"Good for you." Mara said bitterly, pausing at her work. "Well this one's dead. I need a new test subject." She pulled another package out of her shopping bag and began to open it.

"What else do you have besides poison?"

"Squeaking sugar mice, peppermint toads, a mirror, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans."

"What's the mirror for?"

"No reason. Care for some beans?" Mara held the box out to her. "I got them for you."

"No, but thanks." Lucy said. "Mara, are you not telling me something?"

"Do I look like I keep secrets from you?"

"Yes."

"Well I'm not right now. Anyway, do you think the Peppermint Toads have fake organs like the frogs?"

"I don't know, why?"

"I want to know if you can do organ transplants."

"Don't you have homework?"

"No, professor."

"Ten points from Slytherin." She teased.

"Aww shoot. I was hoping for a detention at least."

Mara cast her gaze back to her work as several Slytherin boys walked over. "Looks like we've got ourselves a couple enemies of the heir right here. A Hufflepuff and a Mudblood." The larger of them crossed his arms and taunted. Why did every male Slytherin have to act like a carbon copy of her little brother? It was disgusting.

"Fuck off Adrian." Mara's grip on her knife tightened.

"And whose gonna make me?"

"Boys, let's not." Lucy pleaded.

"Oh no guys, the Hufflepuff wants us to play nice." His buddies laughed.

"I want you to be decent human beings. We weren't hurting you."

"You're not even supposed to be in here."

"I'm a Malfoy, I can be wherever in this castle I want." Lucy tried to use the Malfoy swagger but it just wasn't working for her today. It rarely did.

Adrian scoffed. "I bet you're just as scared as the Mudblood is." He pushed at Mara, who looked ready to pounce at any second.

Lucy stood, the blankets falling off her shoulders as she pointed her wand. "Don't touch my friend." There was the emotion she need.

"Brave words from a _Hufflepuff_." He sneered. "Shouldn't you be loyal to your own kind? A pureblood like you shouldn't be hanging around dirty blood like this." His posse added their agreement.

Lucy shot Mara a glance begging her friend not to act. Mara was already on her feet holding her knife and wand, a deadly combination. "Is that so?" She started to walk towards the group, fully embracing her mother's teachings. If she didn't act Mara was going to get herself expelled. "Because I know that you, Adderly-" She pointed her wand at the smaller, creepier guy, "Your grandfather was a Muggle and your mother is a squib. And Hawkins-" She turned her attention to the taller blonde "Your father only got out of going to Azkaban by turning in the hiding place of every other Death Eater he could." She smirked, twirling her wand. It was like she was being possessed by her aunt, "Shall I go on?" She ruined a few more reputations before turning on Adrian, who was trying to hide his fear. "And you, Pucey, I save the best for last. My father has quite a bit to say about your traitorous family." She glanced at Mara, who was eating every flavor beans like popcorn, watching the show.

"Please don't." He quivered before her. She felt terrible, but she couldn't show weakness now.

"Oh there's the decent human being I was asking for. You threaten to bring up someone's father's _fake_ dark mark and suddenly they get very polite." She turned to his group, "You see, he wasn't actually allowed to join on the account of him being a Muggle-born and all. Now, what were you saying about _loyalty_?" She spat.

He quaked before her, almost making her lose her nerve completely. _Don't back down_, her mother's voice was sneering in her head.

"My apologies…"

"It's Mara who you owe an apology. In fact, you can apologize by never bothering her again, because I can make your life very, _very_ difficult." She growled, surprising even herself. "Got it?" She pushed at his chest, surprised by how much he moved.

As soon as they scurried off to lick their wounds, Lucy collapsed back onto the couch, holding her stomach.

"Holy fuck, you are a Malfoy." Mara's face lit up with a grin of evil discovery.

"Trashcan, please, I may be sick."

Mara put it in front of her. "How did you do that?"

Lucy shivered, pulling her blanket back around her. "Mom and Aunt Bella taught me. If I refused to fight I would have to use my words." She pulled the blanket around her tighter. "So they taught me to cut people to pieces if I needed to." She could have done much, much worse.

"That was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."

"Knowledge is power. It all depends on how you use it."

"You sound like a Ravenclaw."

"House has nothing to do with it, Mara."

"Unless it's Slytherin, we have all the cunning. Except for those idiots."

"Why is it always freezing in your common room?"  
"We're in the dungeon."

"The Gryffindor common room in in a tower and it is always warm."

"Evil needs to be kept chilled or it'll spoil."

Lucy took a deep breath.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. That was just exhausting. I feel terrible."

"Don't. They deserved it."

"Do they always mess with you like that?"

Mara shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle."

"Sorry if I overstepped my bounds."

"Nah, that was quite the show." Mara replied, the closest thing to a thank you Lucy was going to get.  
"Glad you enjoyed it." Despite her internal dilemmas, Lucy couldn't help but smile.

"Seriously though, I thought Adrian was going to faint when you turned on him. And when you pushed him back I was expecting him to fall on his stupid ass. You're like, a third of his size. That was so beautiful."

"Thanks Mara."

"I can see a long, beautiful future spreading out in front of us. Do you mind if I sick you on a couple more people?"

"I don't attack, I defend. And I don't provoke."

"So you're like a guard dog?"

"Sure."

* * *

"I heard what you did to Pucey's gang Lucretia, I'm proud." Her brother had a personal vendetta against traditional hellos.

She set her book down. "I did what I had to do."

"Mother and Father would be proud."

"I'm sure."

"You'll be a proper Malfoy one day, sister."

"And one day you will finally transform into a beautiful butterfly, darling brother." The sarcasm escaped before she could stop it.

He glared at her, then changed the subject. "So you're bringing your friend home for the holidays."

"Yep."

"The Mudblood?" He asked, and Lucy had to bite her tongue. She _hated_ that word.

"She's got an uncle in Azkaban, she'll fit right in."

"Trying to find Mother and Father a replacement daughter I see."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sure you'll do something to make them disown you eventually, good to have a replacement on hand."

She sighed. "Brother, your argument lacks logic. First you were saying that I would become a 'real Malfoy' eventually, now you say I'll be disowned. You're better at the game than this." She patted his head, hair grease attaching to her skin like some kind of parasite, and stood, picking up her book. "When you can hold a logical argument, come find me." With this, she left him in her wake.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think!**

**-Zen**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Lucy looked at Oliver, who was intently watching the match. Hufflepuff was playing Ravenclaw, the last match until after the holidays, and he was furiously writing notes on their playing styles. She tried to stay interested in the game. Ravenclaw was up by ten points, but Anthony and Michael were making it difficult for them with their command with the Bludgers.

The Hufflepuff section cheered when one of the Ravenclaw chasers was knocked off course by a Bludger, allowing Hufflepuff to take possession. Lucy grinned, maybe Hufflepuff would finally win a game.

"That is amazing." Oliver said, watching the spectacle. "I wonder if Fred and George could learn that. This is why the whole team needs to come to every game."

"They were probably busy with homework or something." Lucy said, adjusting her position. Despite her enchanted blanket, she was still cold.

"As long as they aren't getting themselves into trouble." He said, jotting down another note. "I wonder if it's the way they grip the bat…"

Lucy tried to suppress a yawn.

"I'm sorry, I'm not being very interesting, am I?"

"You're okay." Lucy said. "I'm just tired."

"If you want to go back and take a nap I won't be offended."

"I'm fine." She insisted. "I slept ten hours last night. That's probably more sleep then you've had all week."

"I slept 6 hours last night." He defended.

"How many the night before?"

He paused. "Two."

"Why don't you sleep?"

"Sometimes homework, sometimes I'm reading strategy guides, also one of my dorm-mates snores."

"I'm sorry." Lucy said, trying once again to find the warmest and most comfortable position. She failed, and a gust of cold air invaded her warm cocoon, making her shiver.

"Are you cold?"

"A little."

"Has the heating charm on your blanket worn off?"

"No, it's okay. Aren't you cold though?" She asked, as he seemed to be poorly insulated against the wind.

"No, I'm used to this weather. I've played in a lot worse."

"Aren't you worried you'll get sick?"

"I'm okay Lucy, really." He turned his attention back to the game, continuing to take notes.

"Who do you think will catch the snitch?" Lucy asked, trying to divert at least a little of his attention.

"Well, Hufflepuffs are better at finding things."

"Oliver, I can barely find my wand on my bedside table in the morning."

He shook his head and laughed. "Alright, maybe Ravenclaw will get the snitch."

"But I want Hufflepuff to win."

"But then we'll need to beat both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff to win the cup."

"Are you not confident in your team's abilities?"

He paused, looking at her. "Of course I am."

"Then it shouldn't matter if you have to beat both of them."

"You have a point." He paused, looking at her. "You are so beautiful."

Lucy was taken aback by the sudden change of subject, not that she minded. "Thanks." A warm blush invaded her cold cheeks.

A roar of the crowd diverted his attention. Ravenclaw had scored, Oliver groaned, lamenting having missed seeing it. Lucy frowned, curling her knees into her chest and resting her head upon them. At this point she felt that she could find the snitch before either of the seekers could.

"Sorry we're late." Two voices said behind her. Lucy looked back to see Fred and George sitting behind them.

"You've missed quite a bit." Oliver said, "But watch what the beaters on the Hufflepuff team are doing."

"They don't seem to be doing anything right now Wood." George said. He was right, the two of them were sitting still.

"We can do that if you want though. Makes our job easier." Fred added.

"That's not what I mean. Just keep an eye on them, okay?"

"Maybe we just came to enjoy the show, like Lucy here."

"Are you enjoying yourself Lucy?"

"Tons." She replied, wrapping her blanket around her tighter.

"Could you two sit any farther apart?" Fred asked.

"What?" Oliver asked.

"Did you forget to shower today?" George asked him.

"No, I showered this morning."

"Good, then Lucy won't mind if we do this." Fred said, taking away Oliver's quill and parchment – with some protest – as his twin gently pushed Lucy closer to her boyfriend.

"There. Much better. Now act like you like each other. Just not too much." George smirked.

"Save some room for Quidditch appreciation now."

"Thanks guys." Lucy said, looking back at the twins before resting her head against Oliver's shoulder. He put his arm around her and she lay her head back against him.

"And he goes for the cuddle."

"Our babies are growing up."

"I'm so proud."

"Will you two cut it out?" Oliver gave them an irritated look.

"They're just being silly." Lucy said, looking up at him.

"Yeah." He responded, still sounding slightly annoyed.

She leaned forward, unwrapping herself from her blanket. "It's big enough for two." She said, wrapping it around both of them.

Lucy heard a faint "Aww" from behind her but decided to ignore it in favor of snuggling against boyfriend's warm body, not even pretending to watch the match as she closed her eyes.

A loud, rumbling cheer awoke her. She opened her eyes, unsure of where she was.

"The game is over Lucy, time to go." Oliver whispered.

"Who got the Quaffle?"

"Ravenclaw got the snitch, honey."

"That's nice." She lay her head back down against him.

"No it's time to get up." He tried to move her.

"No…"

"Lucy."

"Ollie."

"We can go back to the common room and snuggle."

"Sure, Wood." Fred said. "Snuggle."

"Whatever you say." George added.

"Stop." She groaned at them.

"You need to get up, I'm not carrying you."

Lucy groaned but didn't budge.

"Humor the girl." Fred was on her side. "It'll build muscles for Quidditch."

Lucy nodded softly, but she was slowly waking up.

"Nope." Oliver said, getting up and wrapping the blanket back around her.

She sat up straight, looking up at him. "Why not?"

"If I carry you someone will think you're sick again."

He had a point. "Fine." She stood up.

He put his arm around her while they walked back to the castle, the twins on either side.

"We'll carry you if you like Lucy." Fred joked.

"No, I'm okay guys." She said.

"We could carry you on our shoulders chanting _Hail the Hufflepuff._"

"It might take away the pain of your house losing."

"I think you guys would drop me."

"We'll keep you away from the lake."

* * *

"Malfoy, Wood, what are you doing?" Eric Murley, their favorite prefect, demanded.

"Reading." Lucy said, looking up at him from her book. She was lying across the couch, her head resting on Oliver's thigh.

"Just reading, Eric."

"There are to be no inappropriate displays of affection in the common rooms."

Lucy sat her book on her stomach. "Eric, in what way are we being inappropriate? We are fully dressed, barely touching, and both engaged in reading different books."

"You might be bothering somebody."

Oliver looked down at Lucy, meeting her eyes before looking around the room. "We're the only ones in the common room."

"I'm in the common room."

"Are we bothering you?" Lucy asked.

"No, but you're breaking the rules."

Lucy sat up, holding her book in her lap. "You don't like me, do you?"

"What?"

"You come over and accuse me of doing something every time I'm in here. Last time it was for laughing too loudly when I was probably the quietest person in the room."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I would only reprimand you if you were breaking the rules."

"If you have a problem with me, tell me. Don't accuse me of breaking the rules."

"I would prefer if you stayed in Slytherin, but as you have been invited by a Gryffindor" here he gave Oliver a glance, "to be in here, it is not my place to ask you to leave."

"Eric, I am a _Hufflepuff._"

"Either way, it is much less of an annoyance if people stay in their own common rooms."

"Again, annoyance to who?"

"To, um…"

"Are you going to leave us alone Murley?" Oliver asked.

"Fine. But cause any problems, Malfoy" he made sure to call her by her last name "and I will have to ask you to leave."

"Uh-huh." Lucy said, returning to her previous position and opening her book.

The prefect looked as though he wanted to say something else, but instead just walked off.

"I'm sorry." Oliver said once he had left.

"It's fine." Lucy said trying to focus on the letters in her book.

He started playing with her hair, running his fingers through her scalp and splaying her long blond locks across his lap. "Are you sure?"

"It's not the first time someone didn't like me for no reason. It won't be the last."

"You sound upset."

"Oliver. It's okay." The more he made a big deal of it the more upset she got.

"Are you sure."

"How's your book?"

"Boring." He continued to play with her hair.

"Don't mess it up too bad or people will think I've been up to something."

"Lucy."

"Yeah?"

"Talk to me."

"How's Quidditch practice been going?" She lay her book back against her stomach.

He looked like he was about to begin on a tangent, then paused. "That's not what I meant."

"You said you wanted to talk. I figured I'd ask about something important to you."

Oliver sighed, giving up. "What are your plans for the holidays?"

"I'm going home, Mara is coming with me. How about you?"

"Going home to see my family. Why are you bringing Mara?"

"I don't know, she's my friend and home gets lonely sometimes with just my little bro to bother."

"How's he doing?"

"Good, we got into a bit of an argument yesterday, but I'm sure one day his heart will start beating and he will learn to love. How are your siblings doing?"

"Good, I can't wait to get home and see them though."

"Henry is nine and Beatrice is six, right?"

"She just turned seven."

"That's adorable. I bet they can't wait to get to Hogwarts."

"My parents are talking about sending Bea to Beauxbatons actually."

"Oh."

"Yeah, but Henry wants to go here and be a Quidditch champ like me."

"Your words or his?"

"His. I'm no champion."

"You're a great keeper."

"We haven't won the house cup since I got here."

"You will. You have a great team."

"Yeah." He couldn't help but smile.

She sat up, a grin spreading across her face. "Are you going to kiss me or do you want to keep talking?"

He seemed surprised. "What?"

She laughed. "You heard me."

His lips turned into a smile before he leaned forward and pressed them to hers, tangling his fingers in her hair.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think!**

**-Zen**


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10_

Mara's face lit up with devilish glee as she read the notice board. That couldn't be good.

"They've started a dueling club. Excellent."

Lucy sighed. "When is it?"

"First meeting is tonight."

Lucy instantly wished it was Tuesday so she could disappear off to her own club. "I've got a lot of homework, but you have fun."

"Nope, you're going. This is payback for Potions club." Mara insisted.

"You bring that up _every time_ you want me to do something."

"It left a deep emotional scar." She defended.

At eight o' clock, Mara dragged the still protesting Lucy back to the Great Hall.

"Who do you think is leading it?" Lucy asked.

"Anyone but –" she growled. "Lockhart."

This was going to be worse than Lucy thought.

Lockhart called for silence. "Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourself as I myself have done on countless occasions – for full details, see my published works."

"Oh but Professor, I've already used them for kindling." Mara muttered. She wasn't lying either.

"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape." Said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile. "He tells me he knows a tiny bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry – you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!"

"Come on Snape, go in for the kill; make my millennium."

By the look Snape was giving him, Lucy was afraid he'd grant Mara's wish.

"One – two – three –"

Mara didn't get her wish. Snape had merely blasted him off his feet. When Lockhart announced they were going to pair them all up, Mara looked like a kid on Christmas morning, where Lucy just felt sick.

Lucy ended up being paired with Justin Finch-Fletchley, where Mara, looking more terrifying than Snape on a bad day, was paired with a Slytherin girl that had been bothering her a lot lately.

"Feeling okay, Lucy?" Justin asked.

"Yeah. I hate dueling."

"Have you done this before?"

Her mother and Aunt Bellatrix had spent the better part of the worst Christmas break of her life teaching her, quitting only when out of exhaustion and delirium, Lucy had correctly cast the Cruciatus curse. She merely nodded, instead of mentioning this.

"Go easy on me then." He said, looking a little scared himself.

"Face your partners!" called Lockhart. "And bow!"

"Wands at the ready!" shouted Lockhart, and she and Justin shakily pointed their wands at each other. "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents – _only_ to disarm them – we don't want any accidents – one…" Lucy was regretting this already "two…" She was going to kill Mara… "Three!"

Lucy and Justin looked at each other for a moment, neither wanting to hex the other. There was a flurry of various hexes being thrown around them, and it seemed that Lockhart's instructions to disarm only went unheeded.

She heard a loud wail, and looked over to see that Mara's opponent was bleeding profusely. Snape walked over, fixed the damage, and gave Mara a look that almost looked like pride.

Justin conjured a bouquet of yellow flowers, which he presented to Lucy.

"I hate dueling too." He explained. "One of my friends dragged me here."

"Same here." She said empathetically. The flowers smelled like butterscotch.

Once Snape and Lockhart had calmed the storm of dueling students, they decided to teach them how to block spells. Now that, Lucy could do.

Mara walked over to her with a grin.

"What did you do to her?" Lucy asked.

"Just a bit of well-deserved payback. Where did the flowers come from?"

"Our duel was friendly." Justin replied. Mara sighed.

Lucy groaned as her brother and Harry Potter took the stage to demonstrate the blocking spell. "Oh no."

"Three – two – one – go!" Lockhart shouted.

"_Serpensortia_!" Draco bellowed, conjuring a snake. Lockhart tried to get rid of it, but instead managed to throw it into the air, causing it to go after Justin, who looked terrified.

Lucy was about to do something when Potter yelled "Leave him alone!" in very poor Parselmouth.

"His accent is awful." Mara whispered.

"Agreed." Lucy said.

Both suddenly paused, and looked at each other with mouths agape, neither of them noticing that Justin had fled the room, or that Snape had gotten rid of the snake.

"You're a Parselmouth too?" They said in unison.

"Uncle Bob taught me." Mara explained. "Don't tell me you're a natural."

Lucy looked at her sheepishly. "I'm the only one in the family."

"I'm sure they're real proud."

* * *

The next day, Lucy couldn't help but hear the whispers in the common room. Harry Potter was the heir of Slytherin, and was after Justin. Lucy couldn't help but laugh. Anyone who spoke Parseltongue could tell you that he was just trying to get the snake to back off.

Also, it couldn't be Harry. Lucy had tried to avoid the conversations that went on in the parlor last summer, but she couldn't help but wonder, is this what her family had been planning? After all, she wasn't even sure if the Chamber of Secrets was a real thing or not.

But her brother definitely wasn't skilled enough to petrify people, and no one else he hung around with had the brains either. Snape had mentioned in passing a potion that would petrify the drinker, but every victim was found in a state of shock, like they had been so terrified by what they had seen that they turned to stone. If it was a poisoning of sorts, it would look more accidental.

Lucy looked up from her contemplations to see Justin sitting with Zacharias and Megan. Justin just looked terrified and his friends were trying to calm him down but were really just making matters worse.

"You're better off just hiding out in here." Zach said.

"Are you sure I'm safe here?"

"The Hufflepuff common room is the most difficult to find, I'm sure you're safe in here." Megan insisted.

Justin took a deep breath. "Harry seems so nice though. He got rid of he-who-must-not-be-named after all."

"That was years ago though. If he is the heir of Slytherin, he must have gone bad somewhere." Zach insisted. "You heard the way he was egging that snake on."

"We're so lucky that Lockhart was there to protect us." Megan added dreamily.

Lucy was suddenly very happy that Mara was in her own common room. She liked to tell off anyone who seemed to like Lockhart too much. In Mara's defense though, it had been Snape who had gotten rid of the snake.

As they talked on and Justin looked more and more upset, Lucy wondered if she should tell them what she knew. Would they believe her? After all, talking to snakes was a rather odd skill to have – especially for a Hufflepuff.

She turned to them. "Guys, Harry wasn't telling the snake to attack Justin. He was telling it to back off."

All three of them gave her confused looks. It was Zach who spoke. "Lucy, we know you like to see the best in everyone, but there's no way you can know that."

She bit her lip. "Actually, I can."

Justin looked at her wide eyed. "How?"

She hesitated. "I can talk to snakes too."

Megan laughed but Zach gave her an angry look before speaking. "This isn't time for joking. Justin's life is in danger."

"I believe you, Lucy." Justin stammered.

Lucy smiled. "Thanks Justin. You're really not in any danger, honest."

"Are you really going to listen to her?" Zach looked at Justin in disbelief.

"Lucy isn't the type to lie." Megan defended.

"_Megan, she's a Malfoy_." Zach hissed just loud enough for Lucy to hear.

"My family name has nothing to do with this."

Zach crossed his arms and looked at her. "How do we know that you're not on the side of Potter and his monster anyway?"

Lucy felt anger burn at her throat and tears form in her eyes. "Harry isn't the heir of Slytherin. He's in Gryffindor. He got rid of the Dark Lord. He's not a bad guy." Lucy wasn't even sure why she was defending him at this point. Why did she care anyway?

Justin got up and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Zach demanded.

"To the bathroom. Please stop arguing by the time I get back."

"Justin please, it's dangerous." Megan whined.

Justin looked at Lucy. "I – I think I'll be okay."

Ten minutes later, when Ernie Macmillan came in yelling about how Justin had just been petrified, Zach gave her a glare that could have melted glass, and Megan refused to speak to her. Lucy's heart fell into her stomach. It had been her fault that he had left the common room. But Harry couldn't be the Heir of Slytherin. She knew he couldn't.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think!**

**-Zen**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Do you think your family will like me?" Mara asked.

Lucy turned away from the window and looked at her friend. "Of course they will. Aunt Bella is a little" she hesitated "weird, but she means well." She was still trying to get the events of the last few days out of her head, and going hone wasn't going to help one bit. Having Mara would help though.

"If you say so." Mara said, returning to her knife sharpening.

"You can do that magically, you know." Lucy said.

"The blade dulls too quickly if I do that." Mara replied, inspecting her work. "The magical way isn't always better."

"I cook without magic sometimes. It's pretty good."

"My family cooks without magic all of the time."

"I never would have guessed."

"Better mark that one down on the calendar, Lucy used sarcasm."

"I learned from the best."

Mara took a mock bow. "You're too kind. Really, you are. Take it down a notch."

Lucy laughed and opened a package of every flavor beans. "Take a guess." She said, holding up a red one.

"Cayenne pepper."

"Please not again. I'm hoping for cherry." She placed it on her tongue. "Definitely blood." She said after she finished chewing. "Your turn." She offered the box to Mara.

"Nope. I refuse to play your destructive game."

"It's candy, Mara. Not Russian Roulette."

"Russian Roulette is more fun."

"You haven't."

"Not with real guns. Only the grown-ups are allowed to do that."

"I honestly can't tell if you are being serious or joking sometimes."

Mara shrugged. "It's part of the fun."

Lucy picked another red bean out of the package.

"It's not going to be cherry." Mara said.

"I'm going to find a cherry one eventually."

"When's the last time you found a cherry one?"

"When we were second years. Two years ago." Lucy replied after a moment's deliberation.

"Why are they so special?"

"They're the best ones."

"Lucy."

"Yeah?"

"You hold in your hand a package of every flavor beans."

"Yeah…?"

"Literally. Every. Flavor."

"Uh huh."

"There are flavors like warm apple pie and well-aged wine and literally anything you can think of and your favorite is cherry?"

"Yes. What's your point?"

"You're weird."

"You didn't need to prove that." She said, testing another red bean. "Strawberry shortcake." She sighed. "Shouldn't have trusted the yellow specks."

"You disappoint me."

"See, it's already like you're a member of the family."

* * *

"Do you want the grand tour or do you want to raid the kitchen first?" Lucy asked as Mara put her things away in the guest bedroom closest to her own room.

"Grand is right." Mara said. "We can hit the kitchen first on the tour."

"If my personal kitchen hasn't been restocked yet we can use the big one." Lucy said as they walked down the hall.

"You have your own kitchen?"

"Yeah." She shrugged. "This entire wing of the house is mine. Mom and Dad like to keep me away from their other – guests – so they gave me my own space."

"I have my own bathroom at home. Mom was tired of me threatening to kill my brothers for forgetting to turn the fan on."

"What's a fan?"

"It's an electronic device that moves air."

"Electronics are kind of like Muggle magic, right?"

"Yeah." Mara gave her a strange look.

"What?"

"You were sheltered as a child, weren't you?"  
"My parents are Death Eaters. I know a lot about Muggles. Just nothing true or flattering. _Anyway_, here's the kitchen." She said quickly, opening the door for Mara.

Mara looked around the room. It was plainer than expected. "I was expecting pink counters."

"I asked but Mother said that it all had to match the rest of the house. I've got purple potholders though!" Lucy grinned, holding up a set.

"Of course you do."

Lucy beamed and began opening cabinets. "Oh good. It has been restocked. Want anything in particular?"

Mara sat on the edge of the island counter. "What are my options?"

"Anything you want. Name it, and I can make it."

"Chocolate chip cookies."

"Mara."

"You said anything I wanted."

Lucy tapped her nail against a bell hanging beneath one of the cabinets, and a house-elf appeared with a crack beside Mara, who startled, grabbed the nearest knife.

"Mistress Lucy, you're back!" The elf exclaimed.

"Hi Pere! I'm back for winter vacation. This is my friend, Mara."

The elf bowed. "Nice to meet your acquaintance."

"Likewise." Mara said, setting the knife back on the counter.

"Does the kind, sweet mistress and her friend need anything?"

"Do you happen to have any chocolate chip cookies in the big kitchen?"

"Why yes, Master Draco asked for them especially. But what need do you have for them, miss?"

"Mara would like some, please, if it's not too much trouble."

"None at all, Miss." Pere bowed again before disappearing and returning seconds later with a plate of still warm cookies. "For you, Miss Mara." He said, handing them to her.

"Thank you Pere, you're the best."

"You are too kind." The elf smiled. "Would you be needing anything else?"

"Not right now. Take a break if you haven't already today."

"I will try, miss." The elf bowed again before disappearing.

Mara took a bite of cookie. "You lied. You said _you _would make anything I wanted."

"I didn't expect you to ask for chocolate."

"I didn't expect the house-elf."

"This place is full of surprises. They are a few of the good ones."

"Can I have some milk with these?"

"Of course." Lucy opened the ice chest and pulled out a bottle of milk. "Do you want a big goblet or a little one?" She asked, opening the glassware cupboard.

"Big enough to dunk a cookie." Mara replied, holding one up for reference.

Lucy picked a medium sized one and filled it with milk.

"These cookies are really good." Mara said, taking the goblet from her.

"They make amazing oatmeal raisin cookies too. And sugar cookies shaped like little hearts. I actually learned to cook from them."

"Your mom didn't teach you?"

Lucy shook her head. "I'm not exactly sure my mother knows how to cook. The big kitchen is where I used to hide from my family. If they wanted food they would just order an elf to make something for them, so they never went in there."

"That doesn't sound too bad actually, having a ton of servants to do everything for me."

Lucy shrugged. "I like knowing how to do things for myself."

The door to the kitchen opened, and Bellatrix waltzed in. "How did I know you brats would be in here?"

"Hi Aunt Bella, this is Mara." Lucy smiled.

"Whatever. I didn't break out of Azkaban to babysit, so you two stay out of my way and I won't use you for target practice. Okay?"

"Anything you say auntie. If you feel like family time you know where to find us." Lucy's smile didn't waver.

Mara looked at the both of them and decided to stay quiet.

"I'm sure I won't. If you hear any screams from the dungeon, just be happy they aren't you." With that, she left, leaving the door swinging behind her.

"I thought you said she liked you."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked. "Auntie Bella loves me. I'm her favorite."

"If you say so."

"Isn't that how your family shows affection too, by not killing each other?"

"Sort of." Mara said, breaking a cookie in half to dunk it. "There really won't be screams from the dungeon, will there?"

"If there are we're on the wrong side of the house to hear them. This wing is above the wine cellar."

"Can I have a look at this wine cellar?"

"If you want, but we have to stay away from all the rare vintages. Daddy keeps track of those."

"You're actually going to let me drink?"

Lucy shrugged. "If you want. You're the guest."

"What if I wanted to lock your brother in the dungeon?"

"Might be difficult getting the keys from Auntie, but if I convince her I'm interested in the family business she'll hand them right over."

"You're joking."

"That time I was. Auntie never hands over the dungeon keys."

"You're not going to tell me I can't lock your brother in the dungeon?"

"Honestly I want to see what your methods of getting him down there are. I tried once when we were little but changed my mind halfway through."

"Are you sure you belong in this family?"

"Yes. Mother had tests run. I am 100% Malfoy."

"You don't seem very proud."

Lucy shrugged. "They'll see things my way someday."

"What made you decide to try locking him in the dungeon anyway?"

"He had taken to abusing the house-elves, so I decided he needed a long time out."

"You really are a Hufflepuff."

"The Sorting Hat had a lot of difficulty placing me actually."

"Where else did it want to place you?"

"Slytherin actually." She blanched. "I begged to be placed anywhere else." She had argued with the hat for ages (_you're a Malfoy, it's where you belong – forget about my name, please, I'm different I swear_).

"You'd make a terrible Slytherin. You'd try and brighten up the place."

"A little sunshine wouldn't hurt you guys."

"You don't know that."

"I still don't understand why it took the hat so long to place you, Mara."

"I am a Muggle-born. It didn't want to place me somewhere I wouldn't belong. I threatened the hat with fire when it offered Hufflepuff, and that's what finally landed me in Slytherin."

"You didn't."

"I had matches in my pocket for just such an occasion."

"There's nothing wrong with Hufflepuff."

"It's better than Gryffindor, I suppose. That house is full of brazen idiots."

"There's a few you like."

"No. There's one you like, so I allow him to exist. The rest are morons."

"You sure about that?"

"Yeah." Mara said after a moment's mock deliberation.

"There's a blush on your cheeks that says you're lying." Lucy sang.

"There's a knife with your name on it that says I'm not." Mara replied in kind.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think!**

**-Zen**


	12. Chapter 12

**I feel the need to repeat the note for my current followers that I put on the first chapter, I've done quite a bit of rewriting, so if you haven't already done so, please be sure to read the first eleven chapters, as quite a bit has changed since they were first posted (this is as of september 8th) I hope you like what I've done! :)**

* * *

Chapter 12

Lucy opened her eyes to see Mara looked down at her expectantly. "Mara, what are you doing?" She asked groggily.

"Awakening you with mind control. It worked."

Lucy groaned and rolled over, putting her back to Mara. "That's what you think."

"Nuh-uh. You are getting up." She pulled the blankets off the bed, despite Lucy's protests.

"Mara, it's freezing in here."

"Put some pants on. For both of our sake."

Lucy wrapped herself in her sheet instead. "No." She suddenly found herself on the fast track to the floor, but caught herself just in time. She sat up and looked angrily at her friend, who looked far too pleased with herself. "Why am I up at this ungodly hour?"

"It's morning. Normal people are awake."

"I am not a normal people." She lay on her side, her legs curled to her chest.

"Fine. Normal wizards are awake."

"Still not normal."

"Will you at least put some pants on?"

"Can you not handle my legs in all their glory?" Lucy asked, getting up and putting on the pair of sweatpants on top of her clean laundry pile.

"I'm sure Oliver can."

"Probably." Lucy said noncommittally, dropping back onto her bed and yawning extensively.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means the only person who has seen me in any state of undress is you or my dorm mates."

"Which is just damn sad."

"Like you have any room to talk."

"Maybe I do."

Lucy lay back on her bed, covering her eyes with her crossed arms. "No you don't." She peeked out to see Mara shrug and sit beside her. "You'd tell me if you did."

"Eventually." She said coyly.

"Within seconds of it happening, as soon as he was out of earshot."

"I'm not like you. I don't feel the need to recount the details of every encounter."

"Uh-huh." She turned her head to watch Mara curl her dark hair around her finger. "So are you going to tell me or not?"

"There's nothing to tell."

"Thought so."

Mara gave her an _oh really? _look but Lucy ignored it.

"Are we still going to Diagon Alley?" They had agreed to meet Oliver and the twins for lunch that afternoon, but wanted to get some shopping in first.

"Uh-huh. At a reasonable hour."

"The agreement was that we would go as soon as we were both awake."

"No, coherent."

"That's what the mind game was for."

"Mara, you devil."

"Save your flirting for your boyfriend."

"If you count that as flirting then we're all in trouble."

* * *

"Are you ready to go yet?" Mara complained, sitting on the edge of the tub watching Lucy put on makeup.

"Almost." Lucy replied, putting on eyeliner with rare precision.

"You said that ten minutes ago."

"I said about." She dabbed at the pimple on her nose with concealer, it turned from white the exact color of her skin, flattening the pimple down.

"That's not ordinary make-up."

"Nope. It's my own recipe actually." She looked disdainfully at her nose, the area was turning green. "It still needs a little work."

"All that skill in potion making and you create magic make-up. Sickening."

Lucy shrugged as she dabbed the concealer off. "It's more fun than making poisons."

"I don't understand you."

"I'm beginning to think that's why you stick around." She slid her arms into her jacket. "I'm ready to go now."

"Finally. Where's the nearest fireplace?"

* * *

"Which of these looks most menacing?" Mara asked, holding up two knives. Despite Lucy's protests, she had been dragged to the terrifying weapons shop in Knockturn alley.

"The one with the crisscrossed blade." Lucy said.

"You sure?"

She nodded in response, just wanting out of the dark store. There were two hooded figures in the back talking in hushed whispers that she didn't want to deal with.

"The enchanted Russian dagger it is." Mara said, choosing the one Lucy hadn't picked. "I'll pay for this and we can go meet the boys."

"Finally." Lucy breathed a sigh of relief, standing by the door as she waited impatiently for her friend to finish haggling with the creepy old cashier.

"You a Malfoy? Lucius oldest brat?" One of the hooded figures had walked up to her while she was watching Mara.

"Yeah." She said, trying to keep her voice steady. "I'm Lucy." She heard a snigger from behind the one speaking.

"You're pretty brave to be out without your mommy and daddy to protect you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Wizards of your line that run around with Mudbloods and half-breeds don't often live too long." He pointed his wand at her. Lucy fumbled in her pocket for her own before realizing she hadn't brought it with her, as she couldn't use magic outside of Hogwarts.

She looked up just in time to see Mara's new knife fly through the air and shear off the tip of her attacker's wand. Both she and the dark wizard gasped in shock.

"Oh good Lucy, you made friends." Mara said, walking up to her nonchalantly. "I'm sure it's nice to meet you all but we have a previous engagement. A date of sorts. Let's go Lucy darling." Mara took her arm and started walking her out of the store.

"Take one more step and it will be your last."

Mara gave Lucy an aggravated look before turning around. "Give me your best shot."

The wizard uttered a curse but his wand backfired, shooting him backwards into a display. The old shopkeeper looked up, waved his wand and set it to rights before returning to ignoring them. The fallen wizard didn't move. Lucy wasn't even sure if he was breathing.

"And they say Muggle borns are useless." Mara scoffed, before looking up at the other dark wizard. "Do you have a problem with us too?" She asked, retrieving her knife and flipping it around on her fingers like it was a pen.

"No. You may go."

"We _may_ go? Like you're the one giving mercy?"

"Mara, let's just go…" Lucy said timidly beside her.

"Listen to your friend child. It will save your life."

"Who do you even think you are?"

Lucy grabbed Mara's arm and started leading her out of the store. "We'll be late, it's not worth it."

Mara's grip around her knife tightened but she eventually gave in, letting Lucy lead her from the store and back to Diagon Alley.

"What the hell even happened back there? I left you alone for like ten seconds and you almost got yourself killed." Mara asked as they sat at a table in the small café to wait for the boys, neither had spoken since they left the shop.

"A lot of dark wizards close to my parents find me to be a nuisance."

"Really? You, a nuisance to the forces of evil? I never would have guessed."

"Hey, you admitted they're evil."

"They're out to get Muggles and Muggle-borns. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that their not on my side."

"What's a rocket scientist again? I know you've told me this before."

"It doesn't matter. Lucy, are there people trying to kill you?"

"I don't have like, assassins after me or anything. But occasionally when I barge in uninvited to meetings – with cake, so it should be okay – there have been threats on my life. But I stopped doing that."

"I would hope so."

"There's no one who's made it their mission to kill me. I'm not Harry Potter or anything."

"Instead of the Boy Who Lived you'd be the Girl with Cake."

"I _am _the Girl with Cake. But there are those close to my parents who believe that if I continue refuse to join the Death Eaters that I should just be gotten rid of while I'm still young and easy to play off as an accident. But I am a 'pure-blood' and a budding potions master and most importantly, Daddy's little girl."

"Daddy's little girl in the sense that you're Auntie Bella's favorite?"

"Daddy actually likes me."

"That explains why you're so spoiled."

"I am not."

Mara gave her a look. "You have your own kitchen."

"Hey look there's Fred."

Mara turned around to look. The twins were heading their way. "This isn't over." Mara said right before the two mischievous redheads sat down on either side of her.

"What isn't over?" George asked.

"Our verbal altercation." Mara replied.

Fred gave Lucy an understanding look. "Run while you still can."

"I can handle myself. Where's Oliver?"

"He got a little tied up at the Quidditch supply store. An argument about some team's style. He should be here shortly." George replied.

"And by that he means eventually. Hopefully." Fred added.

"Of course." Lucy sighed. "How is your break going?"

"Good. Sadly uneventful. How's kicking it at Malfoy Manor?" George asked.

"Home sweet home." Lucy answered.

"What about you, Mara?" Fred asked.

"It's great. We have a whole wing of the manor all to ourselves and house-elves to bring me chocolate. Our babysitter is an escaped convict so it feels just like home."

"Good old Aunt Bella." Lucy said with a forced laugh.

"Bella?" George asked.

"…Bellatrix." Lucy explained, feeling rather uncomfortable.

"You two are just okay with this?"

"She is Lucy's aunt. Plus we haven't seen her since the first day we were there."

"She's actually a terrible babysitter." Lucy added. "No bedtime though, so that's a plus."

"And cookies for dinner."

"Only once though. We got awful tummy aches after that."

"Perhaps you do need supervision." Fred teased.

"Are you offering?" Mara asked.

"Maybe. But I'm more likely to get you into trouble than keep you out of it."

"Careful you two, or people might think you're flirting." George winked.

Mara shot him an evil glare.

"Watch out, her eyes have lasers." Lucy said.

"No, I have _mind control_. That's how I got you out of bed this morning."

"Not very effectively."

"Quiet, or I'll make your head explode."

"Use your mind control to get Oliver away from the Quidditch stuff."

"There's no magic that can do that."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think!**

**-Zen**


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